XRP price increases as Japanese e-commerce platform Rakuten Pay integrates
April 16, 2026
Ripple (XRP) experienced a surge in price, reaching $1.38 following the integration of the token into Rakuten Pay for Payments. This move sparked renewed interest in the cryptocurrency market, with trading volume currently at $2.4 billion, despite a 25% decrease over the past 24 hours. The market cap of XRP has now exceeded $84 billion.
The Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten has introduced XRP (XRP) into its Rakuten Pay app and Rakuten Wallet, enabling approximately 44 million users to utilize XRP as a payment option at more than 5 million establishments across Japan. Reports suggest that users will have the ability to engage in spot trading of XRP within the app, purchase it using Rakuten Points, store it in Rakuten Wallet, and subsequently use Rakuten Cash for in-store and online purchases.
Tatsuya Kohrogi, Ripple’s senior ecosystem growth manager, hailed this integration as a significant milestone for XRP. He emphasized that Rakuten Pay is not a crypto-specific platform, but rather a mainstream commerce application, introducing XRP to individuals who may not have previously engaged with cryptocurrencies. Rakuten’s loyalty system boasts more than 3 trillion Rakuten Points in circulation, valued at approximately $23 billion, with user reports indicating the ability to convert these points into XRP.
This conversion essentially transforms a closed-loop rewards system into a gateway for cryptocurrencies, allowing users to transition from points to XRP seamlessly for everyday transactions without the need for traditional exchanges. Having previously supported bitcoin, ether, and bitcoin cash, the addition of XRP places it among other prominent assets within one of Japan’s largest consumer ecosystems.
While XRP has been primarily associated with institutional and cross-border payments, this move signals a notable transition towards wider adoption in retail payment scenarios. Analysts in the cryptocurrency space have commented that genuine utility for XRP is now achievable on a larger scale, although the true litmus test lies in whether users will opt for XRP over conventional currencies like the yen in their daily spending.
Rakuten’s inclusion of XRP in its platform connects a major cryptocurrency directly to one of Japan’s most extensive payment and loyalty networks, converting loyalty points into a potential avenue for XRP adoption among tens of millions of users. If even a fraction of the $23 billion points pool flows into XRP and is used for everyday transactions, it could bolster XRP’s credibility as a practical payment option and potentially encourage similar moves from other major consumer platforms.
